Walking is Better Than Falling in Love
by Ryuu Taiyoukai
Summary: Bruce Banner knew he was to be alone the rest of his life, until he gets pulled back in by none other than the Black Widow and an unknown Avenger. The Man can only resist so long when the Monster grows attached. To his Cousin's best friend. Will Bruce be able to protect the girl he grows to care for or are they doomed from the very start. With crazy gods and Titans after her...


Tapping her finger nails lightly on the diner counter in front of her, Vivian sighed looking dejectedly around the empty room. Tables still needed to be cleaned, dishes washed, the grill cleaned. And her two coworkers had cut out early to go on dates.  
Of course she'd let them, but neither one had even offered to take any dirty dishes to the back and put them in the sink before they had clocked out and ran out the back door. Bemoaning her fate the raven ran a hand through her spikey hair letting  
her nails scratch the back of her neck. It was almost time to get it cut again. Maybe she'd ask for a shorter setting on the razor next time. Pushing away from the counter and sliding from her stool the ebony eyed girl went about cleaning the place.  
Probably not as hard as she should've but she was the assistant manager, and she had been working 11 days straight. Hearing the bell ding over the door she groaned, until her conscious brushed theirs and she realized they weren't a last minute customer,  
though technically she could turn them away she wouldn't. Brushing a hand down the front of her pink waitress outfit she spun around, smiling at the agent in front of her.

"Phil, how've you been? You keeping everyone in line at SHEILD?" A small grin touched the agent's lips before it melted away. Vivian was always a nice person to be around, given that you didn't piss her off. With superhuman strength and a quick temper  
she was the female counterpart to Banner's Hulk, only she followed orders for the most part, and she didn't turn green.

"I wish I was here just to catch up. But we need you to come in." Instantly her eyes narrowed. She dropped the towel she was wiping tables with and marched towards the swinging door to the kitchen. Scurrying after her Phil sighed. Why did he always get  
the hard ones?

"No." Leaning on the fridge and soaking up the cool radiating from the surface she tapped her fingers on the cold metal leaving dents. When she was upset over any little thing she forgot to keep her power in check and more often than not ended up breaking  
something on accident. "No! Fury said I could have a full six months off to be with my family. So unless the world is ending-"

"It may be." Handing her a tablet to scroll over he continued once he was sure he had her attention, which was after she'd pushed her thick black and teal glasses up into her hair. "You know about the tesseract, its been stolen. Fury is putting together  
a team-" Her eyes flashed to his as she nodded.

"The Avengers thing. Nick was telling me about it last year. But he said I wasn't to be part of it until I had sorted out my… special abilities."

"You'll only be on as long as it takes to find and reacquire the cube. Fury wants you in Calcutta, he's bringing the Big Guy in on this one." Furrowing her brow she trailed a sharp nail over the screen of the tablet bringing up more information.

"Tony? What's he doing in the middle of BFE? Pepper kick him out again?" Phil laughed swiping the screen a few more times to bring up a video of the green rage monster himself.

"I've got Stark, you and Natasha get the Big Guy." She raised an eyebrow.

"Doesn't Clint normally have her back on missions? Why can't he go?" The agent winched. Hawkeye was a touchy subject with the two women, he'd been the one to introduce Black Widow and Havoc. He brought home strays and kept mutants from destroying things  
when they were mad.

"Agent Barton has been-" The device in her hand sparked and cracked when her grip tightened too much. Ah she most have skipped ahead. Damn he was hoping to break it to her gently.

"How fast can you have me in Calcutta?" Vivian hated to fight but when you messed with her loved ones a whole new side of her came to life.

* * *

Stumbling off the jet when it landed just outside city limits in the busy Indian town Vivian huffed. Gods it was hot. Why would Banner want to be anywhere near here? Canada she could understand, not the smoldering Middle East. Now she was glad she'd worn  
shorts and a short sleeved shirt. Not that skin tight cat suit Nat liked.

"Have you been debriefed?" Screaming the raven stumbled away raising her hands in a weak effort to defend herself. Realizing it was just the person she was thinking of the ebony orbed female panted gripping the material in front of her heart.

"Fuck, you gave me a heart attack." Suddenly a consciousness brushed hers that was loud, and angry. It was moving closer by the second. "Don't tell me, you already have a plan underway?" The red head shrugged.

"Coulson never confirmed if you were coming or not. We need to get the cube back as soon as possible." Taking in the super spy's silky dress, the raven shook her head. Nat was treating this just like any other mission. Glancing around at all the machine  
gun armed men she shut her eyes and ran a hand through her hair.

"We might as well do this your way. But leave them here. You don't need them." Natasha gave a quick nod and ushered Vivian towards the abandoned hut a ways away. Wrinkling her nose at the dusty smell the ebony eyed female plopped down in a questionable  
looking chair and pulled her ear buds out. This was Nat's show and until she was needed she'd just set in the back ground. She shoved one ear bud in the same time a little girl ran through the house and out the other side. Letting her eyes run over  
the unassuming man that followed closely behind her, Vivian took a deep breath. Bruce was a calm man, but the Hulk was another story. His mental self was so loud the rage mutant was giving her a headache. How did Banner stay so peaceful with something  
like that going on in one half of his mind? Before she could dive down deeper the man leaned against the wall and scowled.

"Should've got paid up front, Banner." Vivian leaned back in her chair propping her bare feet up on the table. Shoes weren't her cup of tea and her nails had been painted last night. What color she didn't know because of the whole color blindness but  
it was the thought that counted right? Deep chocolate eyes darted her way and she froze. She wasn't supposed to be able to see brown, her world was a mix of gray, different shades and blends but that was all.

"You know, for a man that's supposed to be avoiding stress you picked a hell of a place to settle." Bruce moved back and worried his hands together looking from the redhead back to her. Vivian smiled tossing up a friendly wave. The doctor set his bag  
down and glanced around again.

"Avoiding stress isn't the secret." Nat shot her a look when Vivian rocked further back in her seat nearly falling backwards.

"And what is the secret? Yoga?" A mocking smile made its way to the brunette's face and he backed further up towards the wall.

"You brought me to the edge of the city. Smart. I assume we're surrounded." Vivian snorted drawing his eyes back to her. Gesturing carelessly to the redhead the raven tapped her finger nails on the cracked screen of her iPod. She'd forgotten how she'd  
broke it, it was so long ago.

"Nat and me are the only dumbasses here. Really who would willingly live in a place this humid? No wonder your hair is so wild. Natural curls, don't find those too often anymore, it's a good look on you, doc." Bruce blinked several times.

"Urm, I'm sorry who are you?" Natasha stepped in between the two reaching back to squeeze Vivian's arm, hard.

"Natasha Romanov and Vivian Havoc." The redhead pointed to the raven when she introduced her. The brunette pulled his glasses from his nose and played with them in his hands. Squinting the ebony orbed female remembered she had stashed hers away in her  
bag somewhere. Having to stare at a computer screen the last few hours she didn't need them, now she did.

"Are you here to kill me Miss Romanov? Miss Havoc? Because that's not going to work out for everyone."

"No, no of course not. We're here on behalf of SHEILD." The doctor narrowed his eyes glancing back at Vivian and she nodded making a gesture of crossing her heart before giving a thumbs up.

"SHEILD, how'd you find me?"

"We never lost you, doctor. We kept our distance, and helped keep some other interested parties off your scent."

"Why?" The chair creaked under Vivian's weight and she yelped moving closer to having all four legs on the ground.

"The same reason they let me run free. I'm much more agreeable when I'm not under lock and key. A lot less damage is done and everyone stays happy for the most part. I'm sure the same logic applies to you."

"What if I say no?" Nat grinned.

"I'll persuade you." Bruce looked down seeming to space out for a second, probably checking to see if the Other Guy was watching.

"What if the Other Guy says no?" Vivian cleared her throat, if it came to that she was more than ready.

"That's where I come in, Doc. I get to persuade him." Bruce raised an eyebrow.

"How would that happen? He's not the most social butterfly." Natasha moved closer to the table, closer to the gun she'd strapped to the underside.

"It's been more than a year without an accident. I don't think you want to break that streak." Bruce pressed his lips and stared at the cradle in front of him before giving it a gentle little push. Vivian felt so bad, in that moment because she understood  
the consequences of his lab accident. Always having to be careful, never knowing what might set you off. Bruce could never have a normal life because of his Other Half, she could never have a normal life because she always had to be gentle, never  
using more than a quarter of her power. Always having the option of looking into her partners mind and seeing all of their secrets, all their lies. Not many stuck around after they found out about the abilities, and she was coming to accept the fact  
that she was going to be alone too.

"I don't every time get what I want." Nat swiped the phone off the table beside her and took the other empty seat.

"Doctor we're facing a global catastrophe." Bruce laughed moving closer, trying to keep both of them in his sight.

"Oh those I actively try to avoid." The spy pushed the phone across the table, closer to him. Yawning Vivian watched the brunette replace his glasses and study the picture on the screen.

"That is the tesseract. It has the potential energy to wipe out the planet."

"What does Fury want me to do with it? Swallow it?" The raven giggled moving her hands behind her head and swaying back and forth in her lopsided chair. Giving her a hard glare Natasha smacked her leg.

"He needs you to find it. Its been taken. It admits a gamma signature that's too low for us to trace. There's no one that knows gamma radiation like you do. If there was that's where I'd be." Vivian frowned. Gee, just act like she wasn't here then. That  
works.

"So Fury isn't after the monster." The spy grinned and shot her friend a look.

"Fury already has a monster. He doesn't need yours." The raven pressed her lips into a thin line.

"Sure destroy HQ one time and you get titled a monster."

"Three. Talkto Fury he needs you on this."

"He needs me in a cage." Nat leaned forward to get the phone back.

"No one's going to put you in a-"

"Stop lying to me!" Slamming his hands down on the table the doctor gasped when Vivian yelped and toppled backwards in her chair, banging her head on the floor. Natasha was quicker to react, pulling the hidden gun out and aiming between his eyes. Groaning  
Vivian jumped to her feet when a single shot rang out. Black eyes scanning the room she cursed seeing dark blood staining the front of Banner's jacket. Looking up at Nat with wide eyes she gulped already feeling the Other Guy come roaring to the front  
of Bruce's mind.

"Nat you didn't." Shaking her head slowly the agent moved her hand up to her ear.

"Who fired that shot? I want him detained." Rounding the table to get closer to Bruce, Vivian slowed to a stop half way. Those weren't normal body twitches, and that was not a healthy shade of green for anyone. Backing up she bumped into Natasha who was  
still preoccupied with giving orders.

"Nat? Nat! Natasha, you need to get out of here! He's changing!" Looking over her friend's head the redhead bolted out the nearest door, ordering the others to follower her lead. Taking a deep breathe Vivian stepped closer only for the hunched over man  
to growl and move back. "Bruce, it's gonna be okay. Just slow, easy thoughts." Fabric ripped, muscles bunched. "Please don't do this, I'm wearing my favorite shirt. And you won't like me if you ruin it." Bones popped and his form grew. She really  
couldn't fault him for changing, the man had been shot. "Okay then, let's do this your way." Pulling her iPod out of her pocket she set it beside the pair of glasses on the table. When this was over she would need music to calm down. Shaking her limbs  
out she waited until he stood up and roared shaking the structure with the force of it. "Easy big fella." Grunting he turned towards her, baring his teeth in a grimace. "Now I understand you're angry, but I'm sure-" Screaming again the Hulk charged,  
wanting none of her civil talk. Turning on her heel she sprinted out the same window the little girl had used. Rolling to a stop several yards away the raven ducked out of the way of flying debris. The Big Guy didn't really fit through a tiny window  
and he was coming anyway. Bunching her leg muscles she jumped out of the way when he brought both fists down right over top of her, creating a hole where her body just was. "Really what have I ever done to you?" He grunted as a bullet bounced off  
his back followed by many more. Smacking her forehead the Raven waved her arms. "Stop! Don't fire, you'll only piss him off more! Stop you dumbasses!" Making a face at what she was about to do, the ebony eyed female dove down into the magic part of  
her mind and yanked making a shield spring to life between the green mutant and the agents firing on him. The Hulk huffed touching the rainbow colored, transparent surface. He was just happy the puny humans had stopped. Guns were nothing but an annoyance  
to him. Feeling blood dribble from her nose she dropped the barrier and hopped over the giant blocking her from sight. "The next person that fires, will become a pretzel. Just stay out of the way." Being as she wasn't watching the still raging rage  
monster behind her she didn't see the massive fist coming her way.

Pushing the rubble of the used to be home off of herself Vivian hissed feeling all the scrapes and bruises that were forming. She was going to be sore tomorrow. Squinting her eyes to focus her blurry surroundings she screamed bringing her forearms up  
to block the next punch sent her way. Growling low the Hulk brought his fists up to smash her only for the tiny female to catch his wrists and strain against him. Panting the girl dropped to her knees. "Stop! No one's going to hurt you now! I promise.  
They backed down, you won. Just stop fucking hitting me." Hulk grunted again and looked around narrowing his eyes to see the unfocused agents around them. None had their guns raised and they were watching through wide eyes, as he pummeled a girl half  
his size, that hadn't even tried to hurt him at all. She'd stopped the men from shooting at him too. Easing his strength off the female the green mutant grumbled.

"Not hurt anymore?" Vivian blinked. The Big Guy could talk? Well no shit he could talk, what was she stupid? Flopping back on her butt the raven sighed rubbing her aching arms.

"No, not hurt anymore. Let's just set down and talk for a bit okay? Let me get feeling back in my legs and… Shit, dude that hurt." She waved her arms around nearly smacking herself in the face several times. The giant rumbled a laugh. The girl was funny.  
Blinking when the massive body beside her set down Vivian grinned as the Earth shook. "So besides the whole getting shot thing how has your day been?" He eyed her warily, crushing rocks in his hands to stay occupied.

"Dark, lonely." She nodded in an understanding way. In the file it said that Bruce kept the Other Guy in a mental cage. It would be dark and lonely there. Wiping the blood from her nose she scowled when more took its place. She patted her pockets looking  
for her iPod, only to remember that she'd left it on the table that was now covered in a mound of debris. Looking over her shoulder she sighed and pushed to her feet before marching over to the pile of wood and rocks. Sure she should've been keeping  
an eye on the behemoth behind her but he'd calmed down a lot and was just playing with rocks. She doubted he ever really got to experience the world anyway so it was all new to him. Walking to where the table had been she heaved a section of wall  
over and there it was nestled right beside the doctor's glasses. Hopping down from the pile she smiled up at the murmuring monster. Even setting down and slouched over he was still taller than her.

"Next time you punch me through something, make sure it's a little softer. Okay, buddy? Because I know this isn't going to be the last time, so just remember that, will ya. You pack quite a punch." Hulk nodded and yawned.

"Okay, will try." The mutants neon green eyes darkened to brown before they fluttered shut and his form started to shrink. Watching wide eyed Vivian gapped when Bruce shook his head and looked around squinting his eyes. Clearing her throat the raven held  
out his glasses.

"Here doc, you might need these." Jerking his head up he frowned taking the specs and pushing them into place. Forcing himself to his feet he frowned taking in her face and the blood smeared there.

"I'm sorry." She shrugged, wincing when her muscles pulled, she hadn't actually used them in months.

"Wasn't your fault. I would've done the same thing if I was shot. And in all honesty, I did this to myself. He just punched me through a building. I think he has ADD, couldn't keep his hands still at all. That or he really likes rocks." She gestured towards  
the pile of rubble the Hulk had made while he set and watched her. "Now there should be a jet waiting nearby, so why don't you pack and get some more clothes?

* * *

Looking up when something crashed into the doorframe of his bedroom Bruce snickered seeing the raven from earlier tangled in the beads hanging from his kitchen entryway. He was surprised when he'd been allowed to leave alone and go home to pack. He was  
sure the ebony eyed female was responsible for that too. "What, don't you trust me?" She frowned and finally detangled herself.

"I do but most everyone else here doesn't." Shuffling over she plopped down on his well-used bed and sighed inhaling his scent. He smelled wonderful by the way. "In all honesty, Nat's scared of you, now more than ever. You could probably look at her mean  
right now and get her to let you go." Rolling on her side she propped her head up and watched him for a moment. "I'd pack at least enough for a week or two. Never know how long it might actually take, and if all else fails you can use my washer and  
dryer." Bruce nodded and pulled a few more folded shirts from the scoffed dresser by the wall. Vivian looked down biting her lip in thought for a moment. "I'm also sorry you got shot. I told Natasha to leave the others by the jet but she didn't listen.  
A new recruit jumped when you decided to be an asshole, he acted on instinct instead of orders." The doctor paused for a moment before turning to look at her with twinkling mocha orbs.

"Did you just call me an asshole? You're not scared it'll make me angry?" Viv snorted rolling back over on her back and folded her hands behind her head.

"Jen has described in detail how mean you were when you two were kids. So in being mean to one of my best friends you are in fact an asshole. I don't care if she is your cousin." She set up when he zipped his travel bag closed and slid it over his shoulder.  
"Sides' I think I can handle the Big Guy pretty damn well. So no tip toeing from me, Banner. Get used to it." Winking she marched out the door leaving a bemused scientist behind, shaking his head.

Just what had he gotten himself into this time?

* * *

 **Obviously I don't own Marvel or Disney, or there would be a solo Hulk movie with Ruffalo. But please read and review. Ideals and suggestions are welcome as long as their under the mature rating. Updates may be random but I'll get there. Any question or thoughts will be responded to.**


End file.
